1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a traveling safety device for a vehicle, and specifically, to a traveling safety device for a vehicle provided with a brake assist system that assists in decelerating the vehicle if a driver has the intention of decelerating the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a system (hereinafter referred to as “collision prevention brake assist system”) that assists in decelerating a vehicle for prevention of a collision is known. In this collision prevention brake assist system, its greatest object is to reduce the braking time by a driver's brake operation to shorten the stopping distance of the vehicle. Therefore, a brake assist pressure is determined at an early stage of a brake operation (at an early stage of stepping of a brake pedal). Then, even in the subsequent brake assist pressure, a maximum brake force is secured till release of the brake pedal irrespective of a change in the force of stepping by the driver.
Further, a system (hereinafter referred to as “curve entering brake assist system”) that assists in decelerating a vehicle when a brake operation by a driver has been detected before the vehicle enters a curve so that the vehicle can pass properly through the curve is known (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-63369). In this curve entering brake assist system, whether or not deceleration assist is required before the vehicle enters the curve is determined. If it is determined that the deceleration assist is required, a brake assist pressure is set.
Meanwhile, the object of the curve entering brake assist system is to assist a driver in adjusting speed when the vehicle enters the curve, and a final control target speed is determined by a driver's will. However, if the brake assist pressure that has been set once is maintained till completion of the brake assist control, the driver will fell a sense of discomfort when the driver tries to change the stepping force of the brake pedal to make a speed adjustment, after the setting of the brake assist pressure.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a traveling safety device for a vehicle capable of making it easy to make a speed adjustment when the vehicle enters a curve, according to a driver's intention.